As the hunt for Nancy Swenty's killer continued Monday, hundreds of people joined her friends and family in Fisher Branch, Man., to celebrate her life.
People from seven neighbouring communities attended the memorial service for Swenty, whose remains were discovered last week, a month after she vanished from her hometown.
“Nancy, you gave my dad back his life and brought back the twinkle in his eye and made him love and laugh again,” Bryanne Todoruk, the daughter of Swenty’s boyfriend, Dave Todoruk, told the gathering at the community hall.
Many of those who crowded into the hall were part of a huge search last month for the 33-year-old Swenty, who was reported missing after she failed to show up for work on July 28.
Her truck was found a few days after she disappeared, but her remains were not recovered until Aug. 29, near Poplarfield, about 25 kilometres north of Fisher Branch.
On Friday, RCMP issued a Canada-wide warrant for 51-year-old Russell McDiarmid, who is charged with second-degree murder in Swenty’s death.
RCMP later confirmed McDiarmid was spotted at a Saskatoon hospital late last week and they believe he may be headed to his home in British Columbia, possibly in a stolen pickup truck.
At the memorial service, people heard of Swenty’s love of giving gifts and of her devotion to animals, especially those that were abandoned.
“Thank you for being you,” Gord Wevursky said. “Thank you for being part of our lives. Thank you for everything."
Richard Hyde, the reeve of the Rural Municipality of Fisher, says Swenty’s death has changed the community.
“I imagine there's a lot more locked doors today than there was a month ago,” he said. “And yeah, the people are pretty shook up about it.”
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